Method for operating multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for operating a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor. Stretching the mechanism based conveyor comprises: an automatic control system is started to control a first two-drum winch, a second two-drum winch, and hydraulic cylinders in a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom to operate together until the mechanism enters an operating state, and the first two-drum winch, the second two-drum winch, and the hydraulic cylinders in the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom stop operating. Then, the angle of the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom can be adjusted by controlling the operation of the second two-drum winch. Retracting the mechanism based conveyor comprises: the automatic control system is started to control the first two-drum winch, the second two-drum winch, and the hydraulic cylinders in the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom to operate together until the mechanism enters a non-operating state.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for operating a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor, comprising a gantry system ( 1 ), a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ), a boom support ( 3 ), a first two-drum winch ( 4 ), a roller unit ( 5 ), a second two-drum winch ( 6 ), an automatic control system and a hull ( 7 ), wherein the gantry system ( 1 ) comprises a gantry, a set of gantry pulleys and a gantry support;
 wherein the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) comprises multi-bar linkage mechanisms ( 201 ), hydraulic cylinders ( 202 ) and pulleys ( 203 ), and is in a composite structure of carbon fibers and carbon steel; the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) is articulated with the boom support ( 3 ), the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) comprises a plurality of multi-bar linkage mechanisms ( 201 ) each having a set of pulleys ( 203 ), and each two adjacent multi-bar linkage mechanisms ( 201 ) are powered by one hydraulic cylinder ( 202 ); the operating mode comprises following modes: a hydraulically-driven mode, a winch-driven mode, a stretch and retraction adjustment mode, a bearing adjustment mode and a counterweight adjustment mode; the multi-bar linkage mechanism ( 201 ) comprises, on a single side, eight bars among which: a first bar ( 11 ) is fixed and the first bars ( 11 ) on two opposite sides form a boom, two ends of a second bar ( 12 ) are articulated with the first bar ( 11 ), a fifth bar ( 15 ) and a sixth bar ( 16 ), the second bar ( 12 ) is articulated with a fourth bar ( 14 ) at a position that is 43%-44% of its whole length, two ends of a third bar ( 13 ) are articulated with the first bar ( 11 ), the fourth bar ( 14 ) and a seventh bar ( 17 ), two ends of the seventh bar ( 17 ) are articulated with the third bar ( 13 ), the fourth bar ( 14 ) and an eighth bar ( 18 ), the seventh bar ( 17 ) is articulated with the fifth bar ( 15 ) at a position that is 56%-57% of its whole length, two ends of the sixth bar ( 16 ) are articulated with the second bar ( 12 ), the fifth bar ( 15 ) and the eighth bar ( 18 ), and the eighth bar ( 18 ) can move; to realize the movement of the eighth bar ( 18 ), the second bar ( 12 ) is pushed by a hydraulic cylinder ( 202 ), the fourth bar ( 14 ) is driven by the second bar ( 12 ) so that the third bar ( 13 ) moves together, and the fifth bar ( 15 ) is driven by the second bar ( 12 ) and the third bar ( 13 ) so that the seventh bar ( 17 ) and the sixth bar ( 16 ) that is directly articulated with the second bar ( 12 ) move together, and in this way, the eighth bar ( 180 ) is driven to move horizontally; in the hydraulically-driven mode, the hydraulic cylinder ( 202 ) comprises a cylinder and a piston, and the piston is forced to lift up by pressurizing the cylinder, to drive the second bar ( 12 ) to rotate, thus to control the movement of the multi-bar linkage mechanism ( 201 ) containing the second bar; in each two adjacent multi-bar linkage mechanisms ( 201 ), the second bar ( 12 ) of a multi-bar linkage mechanism with a hydraulic cylinder ( 202 ) is connected to the sixth bar ( 16 ) of a multi-bar linkage mechanism ( 201 ) without a hydraulic cylinder ( 202 ) to transfer power; in the hydraulically-driven mode, when it is necessary to stretch the multi-bar linkage mechanisms ( 201 ), all the multi-bar linkage mechanisms ( 201 ) are stretched, and when it is necessary to retract the multi-bar linkage mechanisms ( 201 ), all the multi-bar linkage mechanisms ( 201 ) are retracted; the first two-drum winch ( 4 ) is connected to a set of gantry pulleys ( 101 ) arranged on top of the gantry via a steel wire rope to be connected to the pulleys ( 203 ) on the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ), a tension sensor ( 19 ) is arranged at an end of the steel wire rope, and the pulling of the whole conveyor is controlled by the automatic control system; the second two-drum winch ( 6 ) is connected to a set of gantry pulleys ( 102 ) arranged at an upper end of the gantry via a steel wire rope, a tension sensor ( 19 ) is arranged at an end of the steel wire rope, and an angle of pulling of the whole conveyor and the stability of the gantry system ( 1 ) are controlled by the automatic control system; each multi-bar linkage mechanism ( 201 ), serving as an operating unit, of the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) can send a signal to a hydraulic cylinder ( 202 ) by the control system, so as to control the stretch distance of the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ); in the winch-driven mode, in light load situations, the first two-drum winch ( 4 ) or the second two-drum winch ( 6 ) may be controlled to move separately to play a role of driving, and in heavy load situations, the first two-drum winch ( 4 ) and the second two-drum winch ( 6 ) may be controlled to move together to play a role of driving; during the driving, the winch drives the steel wire rope that in turn drives the pulleys to move, so as to move synchronously to the multi-bar linkage mechanisms; in the stretch and retraction adjustment mode, the whole multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) is divided into three segments each having a main control switch, and one of the three segments may be controlled to stretch or retract separately when it is necessary to adjust the stretch length of the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ); 
 the roller unit ( 5 ) comprises upper bearing rollers ( 8 ) and lower return rollers ( 9 ); an upper cross-bar and a lower cross-bar are mounted on the first bar of each multi-bar linkage mechanism ( 201 ), an upper mounting rack is arranged above the upper cross-bar and on an inner side of the first bar, a first upper bearing roller, a second upper bearing roller and a third upper bearing roller which are connected to each other are arranged at an inside upper end of the upper mounting rack, and the first and third upper bearing rollers are arranged obliquely; a connection handle ( 901 ) is connected above two ends of the lower cross-bar, the connection handle ( 901 ) can rotate relatively to the lower cross-bar, and the lower return rollers are arranged on the connection handle ( 901 ); a carrier is arranged on the first bar at a position above the upper cross-bar, the hydraulic cylinder ( 202 ) is arranged above the carrier, and the second bar ( 12 ) is connected above the piston; the pulley ( 203 ) is also connected above the second bar ( 12 ), the pulley ( 203 ) comprises a pulley sheave ( 231 ) and a connecting rod ( 232 ) by which the pulley sheave ( 231 ) is connected above the second bar ( 12 ); in the counterweight adjustment mode, a dual-purpose hole is formed in the middle of the boom support ( 3 ), which saves material in light load situations and into which reinforced columns are inserted in heavy load situations; and in the bearing adjustment mode, by adjusting the angle of the connection handle ( 901 ) and controlling the bearing position of the lower return rollers, different bearing requirements are met. 
 
     
     
       2. The method for operating a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor according to  claim 1 , wherein the set of gantry pulleys corresponding to the gantry system ( 1 ) comprises a set of front pulleys that are connected to the pulleys ( 203 ) on the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) via a steel wire rope, and a set of rear pulleys that are connected to the first two-drum winch ( 4 ) via a steel wire rope; and the gantry is connected to the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) via a steel wire rope, and the gantry and the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) together form a stable and substantially triangular structure, and the gantry is articulated to a gantry support and is able to rotate around the gantry support by a certain angle. 
     
     
       3. The method for operating a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor according to  claim 1 , wherein the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) is articulated with the boom support ( 3 ); the gantry system ( 1 ), the boom support ( 3 ), the first two-drum winch ( 4 ) and the second two-drum winch ( 6 ) are all mounted on a deck of a hull ( 7 ); and, by the second two-drum winch ( 6 ), the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) can rotate by an angle ranging from −20° to +20° by pulling the gantry to rotate by a steel wire rope. 
     
     
       4. The method for operating a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor according to  claim 2 , wherein the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) is articulated with the boom support ( 3 ); the gantry system ( 1 ), the boom support ( 3 ), the first two-drum winch ( 4 ) and the second two-drum winch ( 6 ) are all mounted on a deck of a hull ( 7 ); and, by the second two-drum winch ( 6 ), the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) can rotate by an angle ranging from −20° to +20° by pulling the gantry to rotate by a steel wire rope. 
     
     
       5. The method for operating a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the gantry system ( 1 ), the steel wire ropes separately connected to the first two-drum winch ( 4 ) and the second two-drum winch ( 6 ) are each equipped with a tension sensor ( 19 ), information from a respective tension sensor ( 19 ) is transmitted to the automatic control system by the stretch distance of the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ), and then the starting/stopping of the first two-drum winch ( 4 ), the second two-drum winch ( 6 ) and the hydraulic cylinder ( 202 ) is controlled by the automatic control system according to the safety range of this tension. 
     
     
       6. The method for operating a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor according to  claim 1 , wherein the roller unit ( 5 ) further comprises reversing rollers ( 10 ) that are mounted at a forefront end of the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ), and automatic tensioning can be realized since the multi-bar linkage mechanisms ( 201 ) of the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) are stretched. 
     
     
       7. The method for operating a multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor according to  claim 1 , wherein each multi-bar linkage mechanism ( 201 ) of the multi-bar linkage mechanism based conveyor boom ( 2 ) is connected by a bolt, and the conveyor is automatically controlled by a programmable control system.